Chapter 720

This whole situation involved way too many people. Demi was already hanging by a thread, yet she still wanted to be the shield, the one who took the hits. I couldn’t stand the thought of her going through it again.

If we could find other victims—anyone willing to step forward or share evidence—maybe, just maybe, we could end DracoLux for good.

“Some of the girls, I can still find,” Lena said, her tone serious. “But not all. And even if I do track them down, you need to understand they didn’t report it back then for a reason. There’s no guarantee they’ll help now.”

She wasn’t wrong. This wasn’t just hard—it was near impossible.

“It’s okay,” I said quietly. “We’ll try. If they’re willing, great. If not… at least we tried.”

My brief spark of hope gave way to a deeper sadness. The thought of how many girls had suffered like Demi made my stomach churn.

“I’ll start looking into my records,” Lena promised, determination etched across her face. She didn’t care about rules or red tape. If breaking them meant taking down DracoLux, she’d do it without hesitation.

“Just… be careful,” I said, my voice soft but firm. The idea of Lena being dragged into this nightmare scared me. If word got back to Cole or his people, she’d be in danger, too. If it weren’t absolutely necessary, I wouldn’t want her to get involved at all.

“I will,” Lena replied, calm and steady.

I couldn’t help myself. I hugged her.

“Get off me,” she muttered, shoving me back. “I’m covered in blood.”

“I don’t care,” I said, holding tighter.

Her tough act cracked for just a second as she let out a small laugh. That little moment of warmth? It gave me something to cling to.

When I returned to Demi’s room, she looked like she was asleep, but I knew better. Lena had told me the anesthesia had worn off hours ago; Demi was in pain. I sat beside her, taking her hand in mine. Slowly, her eyes opened.

“If it hurts, just cry,” I said gently. I couldn’t take her pain away, but I wanted her to know she didn’t have to carry it alone.

“It doesn’t hurt,” Demi whispered.

Those words hurt me. I knew she wasn’t just talking about the physical pain. Whatever she was feeling inside was so much worse, so deep that it made everything else seem insignificant.

“Keira,” she murmured with a faint smile tugged at her swollen lips, “there’s a lot I didn’t tell you last time. Want the full story now?”

I hesitated. Talking couldn’t be easy for her. “We can talk later. There’s no rush.”

“Talking distracts me,” she admitted.

I’d never heard of talking as a way to ease pain before, but if that was what she needed, I wasn’t going to argue. I nodded. “I’m listening.”

Demi closed her eyes for a moment, collecting herself, then began.

“Last time, I told you I borrowed money—online loans, payday loans. But it wasn’t just that…” Her voice cracked, but she pushed on. “I also got caught in this thing—let’s call it a collateral loan. ‘You strip, they take pictures, and you get the money. If you can’t pay it back, they’ll force you into the sex trade.’”

I froze. “You mean they forced you?”

“Yes.” Her broken smile made my chest ache. “The first time is the most valuable.”

My mind was spinning. She’d been with Jorian back then—hadn’t she?

As if reading my thoughts, she added, “I finally figured out why that bastard always stopped short with me.”

Her bitter laugh felt like a slap. “He planned to sell me all along. That’s why he never ‘went all the way.’ He wanted to keep me ‘untouched.’”

Her voice cracked again, and she squeezed her eyes shut. A single tear slipped down her cheek. She was crying. Not from the abuse. Not from the injuries. It wasn’t DracoLux that broke her. It was him. Jorian Kay. She must have loved him once. It’s the only way anyone could be hurt this deeply.